Alone and Afraid
by Lost in the ever after
Summary: After the war Harry married Ginny; they had three wonderful children and their middle was just starting Hogwarts. But, as with all good things, they must come to an abrupt, heart wrenching end. James and Albus are left alone...alone but for each other.


**Title:** Alone and Afraid

**Rating:** T for safety (for now) May change, may not

**Summary: **After the war Harry married Ginny; they had three wonderful children and their middle was just starting Hogwarts. But, as with all good things, they must come to an abrupt, heart wrenching end.

**Disclaimer: DON"T OWN!**

**Chapter One: The Letters**

Albus yawned at in his seat, blinking his eyes slowly. It had been a very trying week for him—being the first week of his first year at Hogwarts, this had been expected. But now it was Saturday and he could rest.

He looked down the long table to see his brother James talking animatedly with some more Gryffindor second years.

He'd been so thrilled and relieved to be placed in Gryffindor.

He looked away from James's mope of auburn hair and started filling his plate for breakfast.

The owls flew in and his stomach dropped, though he wasn't sure why. He looked up and spotted a large gray owl bearing the Ministry of Magic's crest. He watched as it swooped lower and lower and lower, until it landed directly in front of him.

He took the letter it offered him and gave it a treat; after it devoured the treat it promptly flew off.

The letter in his hands was thick—like his Hogwarts letter had been. His hands were slightly shaking.

"James! It's for both of us." Albus called to his brother. Several heads turned as James stood and went to Albus's side.

"Well, open it." James said impatiently. But Albus was shaking too badly. His heart was thumping in his ears and his breathing was getting faster.

"I can't. It's…its bad, whatever it is. You open it." Albus said quickly and softly, pushing the letter into James's hands. James sighed with more exasperation then needed, and ripped open the letter.

"Dear Misters James and Albus Potter. I am sorry to inform you that, at approximately ten o'clock Friday night, there was an accident involving Mr. Harry Potter, Mrs. Ginerva Potter, and Miss Lilly Potter." James read. He kept reading, though now his voice was gone. Albus's eyes were wide with fear, and he waited for James to finish the letter.

James sat on the bench next to Albus, eyes wide and unseeing. The Headmistress, McGonagall, came rushing down to them a moment later.

"Boys, if you'll follow me to my office." She said softly. Albus nodded and guided James to the office, following the Headmistress.

Once there, James and Albus sat together in a wide chair.

"What happened? I didn't read the letter." Albus said softly, looking worriedly at his brother.

"I am afraid, Mr. Potter, that your parents and younger sister…were in an accident." She said softly.

Albus's eyes widened even more. "They…are they…we have to go! They've got to be at St. Mungo's, right?" He said frantically.

"I'm sorry. They…you're parents did not survive. You're sister is in critical, unstable conditions in St. Mungo's. There was a crash. Their car exploded on impact with another car; the others were all critically injured." The Headmistress said.

"They…no…why…" James breathing quickened out. He blinked rapidly, willing away the tears. He had to be strong. Had to be strong like James.

He looked at his older brother, only to see that his chestnut eyes were shut tight and his face was shiny with silent tears.

Albus sobbed and hugged his brother tightly, and cried onto James and James cried onto him.

McGonagall watched as the boys cried together for some time. She herself felt a deep loss. Harry Potter had been a favorite of hers, as had Ginerva. They'd been excellent students.

Nearly half an hour later, the boys had stopped crying. James was staring off into nothing while Albus was taking deep, calm breaths.

"There will be a Ministry official here tomorrow morning to work out the details and…arrangements. I will summon you here when they arrive. They can also, if you wish, escort you to see your sister." McGonagall said gently.

James's eyes focused on her and he nodded.

"Come on Al." James said gently. He led Albus this time, all the way back to their common room. They ignored or didn't hear the questions and concerns of their friends. When they got into James's dormitory, Rose was already there, tear tracks down her face.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. She ran to her cousins and they all hugged her close.

She herself had a letter in her hands; one from her mother and father, who had received the letter from the Ministry. They had been named the guardians of James, Albus, and Lilly.

James's mind whirled with useless, stupid information.

The grand mansion his father owned and hardly used, called Grimuald Place, was now his, technically, since he had been named heir to it. The Potter Manor was now Albus's.

He wondered how much a double, maybe triple funeral would cost.

Later, but not so late that the sun had set, James and Albus nodded off, and Rose left, closing the drapes behind herself.

She hoped her cousins would be okay. And she prayed very strongly that Lilly would be okay too.

James and Albus sat in the Headmistress's office very early the next morning.

Lilly had gone into cardiac arrest the night before and her heart had never started up again.

They were alone.

James listened as the Ministry Official rambled on about heritage and guardians and wills and funerals and money.

Albus stared at the stone floor, hands folded in his lap, head bent and shoulders slumped. He hadn't said a word to James all day; or to anyone.

"And finally, everything not in the wills will be split between the two of you, when you come of age, James. Now, you both need to sign these documents, stating that you have listened to and understood the implications of the wills and everything else." The Official said in a bored tone.

James signed his name and Albus blinked slowly before signing his own.

"One last thing—you can choose to stay at Hogwarts or return to your family home and seek other education; that choice is entirely up to each of you." The Official said before he flooed back to the Ministry.

"I'm staying." Albus whispered hoarsely. James nodded his agreement to McGonagall, who nodded solemnly as well.

"You will both be excused from classes for three days; after that, I'm afraid you will have to attend, no mater what. When the funerals roll around, you can take that week off. And boys, if you need any help with anything at all, never hesitate to ask." The old woman said kindly. James nodded and led Albus from the room.

For both boys the three days they had off went too fast and took forever to pass. They had nothing to occupy their thoughts but the deaths of their family, and they could not help but dread the return to normal classes.

~*~

On the day that Albus and James returned to their classes, both got pitying looks and kind words.

Albus had just about had enough of it. He retreated to the library to sit and think under the guise of studying.

It was there that Scorpius Malfoy found him.

Albus looked up when the blonde boy sat next to him, but neither said anything. In fact, Scorpius didn't even look at him.

They sat in mutual silence for a long time, and it never got odd or tense.

Finally, Scorpius said in a soft voice, "I know what it feels like, to lose someone like that."

Albus looked at him and shook his head. His green eyes were already starting to sting again, but he didn't want to cry in front of this stranger, this boy he didn't know.

"I do. My…my sisters. They died, several months ago. So…you're not the only one who knows what its like to hurt. What its like to miss someone and know you'll never see them again. And…you don't have to feel alone, okay?" Scorpius said gently. Albus looked at him, at his pale skin and platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes.

He looked deeper, saw the half circles under the tired eyes, saw the pallid tone under the paleness, saw the heartbroken, truthful eyes. And he saw that Scorpius was just the same as him; a kid who had lost some special people in his life.

Albus nodded and closed his eyes, willing the tears to go away. But they just wouldn't.

Immediately after the first tear slid down his cheek, Albus was engulfed in a warm, understanding hug from Scorpius.

~*~

James chewed his bottom lip. He was reading up on funerals. He knew that they could afford three grand funerals, all at once, if they wanted to. But he wanted something simple.

He wrote a letter and ordered the caskets; three normal caskets, enchanted with the run of the mill things like anti-theft and the like.

He wrote another letter and ordered the headstones to be made; three small headstones, bearing names and dates, and space for a saying. He wrote that he would include the sayings later on, when he had thought of them.

And he wrote several more letters; one to insure the proper burial rites and clothing; another to order magical invitations that would deliver themselves to the recipient. And several more letters, telling those of his father's or mother's or sister's close friends what had happened.

Rose had come in sometime during his fourth or fifth letter and had watched him.

"You're too young to be so…to have so many responsibilities." She said gently. Her cousin shook his head.

"I'm…I'm head of the house…n-now. I have t-to." He said, suppressing his sobs. There would be time for crying when all his jobs were done.

Rose shook her head and took his finished letters, promising to deliver them to the Owlery before she went to bed.

~*~

**A/N Well? Do I still got it or what? I just finished Deathly Hallows! So…I read the epilogue, and I just **_**had**_** to write something for it…to continue it. So basically everything is the same as you know it, I just add on where she left off! Well, review darlings!**


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